Dehumidifier Operating Cost

Dehumidifiers can come in very small sizes, but do not underestimate their energy cost. If you need to get an area or room dried out, you really don’t have much choice but to buy one of these handy machines, yet you need to monitor its use carefully to make sure that your energy bill is not too adversely impacted.

Once you buy your dehumidifier, you will need to take a few measures to ensure that it does not gobble up too much of your energy bill. You might be surprised to learn that dehumidifiers can use up to twice as much energy as a refrigerator!

Operating Costs

Here are the factors that will affect your yearly operating costs:

Do you run your dehumidifier year round or just during particularly wet months in your area?

Will you check your draining tank every day or only every few days? A recent study showed that more than half of the dehumidifiers on the market used power even when in auto shut-off mode after filling with water. Most dehumidifiers will need to be emptied at least once per day. If you are using one in a very humid area, you will need to empty it twice or more per day.

A recent study showed energy usage, on average, at 4.2 kWh/day, with direct drain units using 5.6kWh/day and manually emptied units using 3.7 kWh/day. That calculates to an annual operating cost of $120/year, or 9% of the average electricity consumption in a home. Other studies have shown that dehumidifiers can cost up to $30 each month with high usage. Researchers classify dehumidifiers as “energy intensive appliances.”

It’s best to find an Energy Star-rated dehumidifier, given how much power they use and how often they run.

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